Climate Pollution 101

What is climate pollution? 

Climate pollution (also referred to as greenhouse gasses) is created by our daily activities, including travel, producing electricity, cutting down trees, heating buildings, and farming. These activities emit greenhouse gasses that trap the sun’s heat in the atmosphere, which warms the earth’s climate. 

The most common greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). When we burn gasoline, coal, and oil to produce electricity and power cars, trains, planes, and other transportation, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. 

Burning these fuels also create nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas. Farming is another major source of nitrous oxide. Most fertilizers used to nourish our crops are made with nitrogen and are produced through a chemical reaction that releases nitrous oxide. 

Other farming activities, like raising cows for dairy and meat, emit methane—a greenhouse gas that is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the planet. When cows and other livestock digest food, they burp methane. Methane is also released when organic matter—like food in landfills or manure on farms—decomposes. Additionally, what we refer to as “natural gas” is actually methane. When we burn it to heat our homes or power industrial activities, methane is emitted into the atmosphere. 

What is the difference between climate and weather? 

Weather refers to specific events, like a storm or a hurricane, that happen each day and are created by short-term changes in the atmosphere. In contrast, climate refers to weather patterns over an extended period of time in a specific area. Climate is typically evaluated based on average measures of weather—like rainfall, temperature, humidity, and wind—over a long period of time, typically 30 years. Long-term changes to the climate affect daily weather patterns. As the planet warms, weather is becoming less predictable and more extreme.